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A Kiss to Build a Dream On (Kim Amos)

A Kiss to Build a Dream On - Kim Amos

I believe that this is a debut novel by Kim Amos and a beginning of a new small-town romance series, a trope which is very popular in the genre. I was pretty intrigued with it because the blurb promised a sort of second-chance theme -- Willa and Burk used to be high-school boyfriend/girlfriend up until Willa packed her bag and left White Pine, Minnesota without even a note.

Unfortunately, this didn't hit the mark quite yet for me.

I think my biggest issue is on the characters themselves. I found Willa to be less sympathetic that I wanted her to be. She is described to be quite bitchy in high school, even mocked those with less perfect physical trait. On top of that, she looks down on White Pine, thinking that New York or East Coast lifestyle is the better way to live. Usually, with heroines like Willa, she will realize her mistake and do kind of penance.

However, I thought that Willa didn't really show it. I mean, she was indeed quite determined to be successful with her B & B. She also did offer herself to help coaching the track team. She didn't refuse to be part of the Knots and Bolts girls club. BUT, somehow I still thought that she approached everything by thinking that East Coast way was what the White Pine people needed. She didn't do enough research ... and she felt that just because her father owned the bank, she could easily get the loan. She also wasn't exactly self-sufficient and except for her good eyes when it came to decoration apparently, it took me quite a long time to warm up to her. She did kick ass in the end though, with her ex.

It didn't mean that Burk was better in my eyes. I thought Burk was too distant and too detached with Willa. I could understand his action; he was hurt and he didn't entirely sure that Willa would stick around anyway. However, it made the romance between Burk and Willa not entirely convincing in my eyes. Usually, there are undeniable sparks and tensions that make me rooting for the couple. In this case, I didn't even care if they never made it to their HEA.

Having said that, I still thought the series had potential. I would be there for the second book because again, it seems that it will be second-chance kind of story. It's my weakness.